Kenny Chesney hopes His Fans Aren’t Lumped In With Riley Cooper

In the wake of Eagles wide receiver Riley Cooper using racial slurs at a Kenny Chesney concert, the country music star felt it necessary to address the situation that took place at his show.

Chesney told ESPN that “Cooper doesn’t reflect the type of people” who can usually be found at Chesney’s concerts.

“Tojudge an entire audience by one loud mouth isn’t fair . . . not to the NFL, not to the city of Philadelphia and that awesome crowd, not to my band and crew and certainly not to me, who believes music is about bringing people together for friendship and forgetting about the things in life that bring you down,” Chesney said. “The music I make is about living life, loving life and loving everybody — no matter who they are. That’s how I was raised, and what someone else does or says doesn’t reflect who I am or what my fans stand for.”

Chesney actually invited Cooper on stage during his show that evening, but made sure to distance himself from Cooper, saying that it’s a courtesy he tries to show athletes that attending.

“I don’t know everything about every player who comes to our shows,” Chesney said. “We invite the teams in the places where we play, and I’ve found the guys from the NFL are some of the most inspiring people I meet all year. They give back to their communities, work with children, hospitals and various charities, as well as raising awesome families.”